September 2009

September 30, 2009

My twin grandchildren Cecilia and Rafa, age 5, started kindergarten a few weeks ago.

The school day for them begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. They have homework every school night. Their teacher says they’ll be reading by the end of the year.

I didn’t attend kindergarten. It wasn’t offered in the rural area where I lived at Orondo Elementary School.

My oldest daughter attended kindergarten at Garfield Elementary School in Olympia, Wash. The emphasis was on kids learning how to get along in the school environment and getting ready to learn to read in the First Grade.

However, the two kindergarten teachers had a special theory they practiced. They assessed the readiness of kindergarteners for first grade by a test that included having the student draw a picture of a person. If the child included a belly button on the person they drew, they were considered too immature for First Grade.

What do you remember about kindergarten if you attended? Was it all work and no play?

September 29, 2009

President Barack Obama is proposing that Congress establish a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency to regulate consumer financial products such as credit cards and mortgages, and to simplify disclosure on them.

After the financial mess that was spawned by Wall Street and the banking industry, the new agency is essential for the development and growth of our new economy in the United States.

However, the banking industry is set on killing the proposed new consumer protection agency.

Though virtually every cause of the nation's recent financial crisis was rooted in weak consumer protection, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is leading the fight against the proposed agency on grounds that it would make credit less available and more costly. The American Bankers Association, the Independent Community Bankers of America, and the Financial Services Roundtable also oppose the measure.

Here’s what’s being spent to defeat the new consumer protection agency, according to the article:

The chamber said it's spending about $2 million on ads, educational efforts, and a grass-roots campaign to kill the agency.

The Center for Responsive Politics said that for the 2010 election cycle, commercial banks have donated almost $3.7 million to lawmakers – 54 percent of it to Republicans. Companies that provide credit have given about $1.4 million, 59 percent to Democrats. Mortgage bankers and brokers have given $581,423.

This massive lobbying effort by banks is unfortunate. Changes are needed to protect American consumers in their financial dealings.

David Arkush, director, Public Citizen’s Congress Watch Division, said in a statement supporting the new federal consumer agency:

For too long, financial regulators have been too cozy with the financial services industry that they were supposed to be overseeing. Moreover, no single federal agency focuses primarily on consumer protection for credit products.

Lenders have run amok, writing their own rules and creating a maze of unfair and predatory products that have harmed consumers and destabilized the economy. The lack of oversight and regulation, along with Wall Street’s unchecked greed, drove this country into its current financial crisis. Americans deserve an agency that will put their financial well-being ahead of the short-term profits of a few Wall Street banks.

The president’s proposal to create a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency will add much needed oversight of an industry that has run wild at great expense to consumers and homeowners.

Establishing an agency to protect consumers in their financial transactions is essential. Let your senators and representatives in Congress know today that you support this important consumer protection measure.

September 28, 2009

If you're still taking Celebrex – a drug often prescribed for arthritis, menstrual cramps, and acute pain – Consumer Reports thinks there are good reasons to take another look at whether taking the drug is the right choice for you.

Nearly a decade after reports linking celecoxib (Celebrex) to an increased risk of heart attack, and two years after the American Heart Association warned against the drug for people at risk of heart problems, about 11 million prescriptions for it are still filled each year, Consumer Reports said in its article "Should You Still Take Celebrex?"

Why are so many consumers still using Celebrex? It’s being widely promoted by the pharmaceutical company that manufactures it. Consumer Reports states in its article:

Pfizer, maker of celecoxib, has resumed heavily advertising it directly to consumers, spending $54.8 million on ads in 2007 and $58.5 million in 2008. A new ad – a full two minutes long, and also available online at www.celebrex.com/depicts a man walking a dog and riding a bike. It suggests that the drug is no riskier than other related nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen(Advil and generic) and naproxen(Aleve and generic).

Celecoxib may be appropriate for a small number of patients, according to Consumer Reports, but the consumer magazine has strong reservations about consumers using the drug because:

It's probably harder on the heart.

It may not be much easier on the gut.

It's no more effective.

It's more expensive.

See the article for details.

If you think you’ve experienced an adverse event with this drug or any drug, especially if it’s of a serious nature, it’s important to (1) tell your doctor immediately and (2) report the event to the Food and Drug Administration via the FDA's MedWatch Web site at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm or by calling 1-800-FDA-1088.

September 27, 2009

The garlic duo’s slicer blades can break during use, posing a laceration hazard to users, reports the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The firm has received four reports of the product’s slicer blades breaking. No injuries were reported.

Manufactured in China sold at department and retail stores nationwide for about $20, the product is a combination garlic press and slicer.

Recalled model numbers 998009, 998010, or 998010CB were printed on the product’s packing card, hang tag, or UPC label, but not on the product. The units have "Trudeau" embossed on the handle.

Consumers should stop using the recalled garlic duo immediately, the commission advises, and contact Trudeau for directions on how to return the recalled product. Consumers will receive a free replacement garlic press and a complimentary set of three flipper measuring spoons.

For additional information, contact Trudeau toll-free at 888-887-8332 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday to Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.trudeaucorp.com.

September 26, 2009

Recently, I launched a best and worst consumer experience feature on The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.

I think looking weekly at these experiences helps us learn from our successes and mistakes.

Here are my most and least successful consumer transactions for this week:

My best consumer experience: Finding masks to wear on the airplane

When I to Walgreens to look for masks to wear on upcoming airline flights, I found a package of the usual thin masks that I’d seen before.

The sales associate told me there were others at another location. I couldn’t find them, but she directed me to the right area.

I found two masks by US Germicide Technologies Inc. that said they would protect the wearer against swine flu, avian flu, seasonal flu strains, and other germs.

I’m glad I persisted and found the better masks. I’ll try them on my trip and see how they work.

My best consumer experience: A bothersome cell phone user

My trip to the post office was going well. The line was short, and I was about to have my turn.

Then a woman entered, got in line, and began talking loudly on her cell phone. She complained about how hot the post office was and gave a friend or relative advice about what she should do about people in her family moving.

Suddenly, the man behind me turned around and left the building. The woman moved right up next to me and continued talking loudly.

Finally I had my turn. Before I left, I spoke to the woman and told her that her cell phone conversation had been disruptive. She said she was sorry. I appreciated her apology.

September 25, 2009

Parents and grandparents need to take simple steps to make sure that furniture, television sets, and appliances are secured to prevent injuries and deaths when these items fall on children.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that in 2006, 16,300 children 5 years old and younger were treated in emergency rooms because of injuries associated with television, furniture, and appliance tip-overs. Between 2000 and 2006, the commission received reports of 134 tip-over related deaths.

In addition, there have been at least 30 media reports of tip-over deaths since January 2007 involving this same age group.

"Many parents are unaware of the deadly danger of this hidden hazard," said commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum in announcing the agency’s tip-over prevention campaign. "I urge parents to include securing televisions, furniture, and appliances in their childproofing efforts. Taking a few moments now can prevent a tip-over tragedy later."

"You may think your home is safe, but everyday things like a television can hurt your child," said Sylvia Santiago, of West Haven, Conn., who lost her two-year old daughter in 2008. "I was right there, and it happened."

Injuries and deaths occur when children climb onto, fall against, or pull themselves up on TV stands, shelves, bookcases, dressers, desks, chests, and appliances. In some cases, televisions placed on top of furniture tip over and cause a child to suffer traumatic and sometimes fatal injuries.

"The most devastating injuries that we see resulting from furniture tipping on children are injuries to the brain and when a child is trapped under a heavy piece of furniture and suffocates," said Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Recent revisions to the voluntary safety standards for clothes storage units provide for the inclusion of warning labels and additional hardware to secure the furniture to the floor or wall, reports the commission.

To help prevent tip-over hazards, the agency offers the following safety tips:

Furniture should be stable on its own. For added security, anchor chests or dressers, TV stands, bookcases, and entertainment units to the floor or attach them to a wall.

Place TVs on a sturdy, low-rise base. Avoid flimsy shelves.

Push the TV as far back as possible.

Place electrical cords out of a child’s reach, and teach kids not to play with them.

Keep remote controls and other attractive items off the TV stand so kids won’t be tempted to grab for them and risk knocking the television over.

Make sure free-standing ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets.

Be sure to add these important steps to your childproofing efforts. It may take an hour or two and cost money for straps and brackets, but it’s worth it to prevent an injury or save a child’s life.

September 24, 2009

Many baby boomers stay fit through rigorous exercise that can strain, injure, and wear out their bodies.

Exercise-related ailments such as sore shoulders, inflamed tendons, and arthritic knees often are the result.

"Baby boomers are the first generation in droves trying to stay active in an aging frame," said Nicholas DiNubile, M.D., 57, in the article "Boomers: Gen Xcessive – Staying Active Can Be a Painful Fountain of Youth" on Philly.com. The Havertown orthopedic surgeon is credited with first using the term "boomeritis" to describe the growing number of middle-age patients with exercise-related ailments.

For its article, the Philadelphia Inquirer asked the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to analyze boomer exercise-related injuries through its National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data.

An example is bicycling. The Centers for Disease Control reported in 2002 that more than a fifth of the men 45 and older with sports- and recreation-related injuries treated in the ER had a biking accident – nearly the same as the portion of boys 5 to 9 – 23 percent – and much more than the 16 percent for 10-to-14-year-olds.

Overuse is one of the main causes of boomeritis. At the same time, the benefits of exercise come from pushing limits.

"It's a fine line," Cathe Friedrich, 45, co-owner of Four Seasons Health Club in Glassboro and an exercise instructor, said in the article. Friedrich has had surgery on an inflamed knee. "As we get older, that fine line gets finer."

September 22, 2009

Boomers are getting older, and the effects of the sun from their youth and their love of outdoor activities are now beginning to show up.

Little was known when boomers were growing up about the importance of protecting the skin from the sun. And boomers don’t wear sunscreen as often as dermatologists recommend.

In a Harris Poll, 82 percent of baby boomers surveyed said they frequently spent time in the sun during their childhood without protecting their skin from the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet or UV rays, reports DentalPlans.com.

The survey also showed that the majority of older adults who wear sunscreen wear it when in the sun for an extended period of time such at the beach or gardening. However, only one-third are diligent about replying sunscreen at least every two to three hours. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends reapplying sunscreen every one and a half hours when outdoors, even on cloudy days.

Skin cancer is more prevalent today than any other time in history, as this chart from the Centers for Disease Control shows.

More than one million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer diagnosed annually in the United States are considered to be sun related.

Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer will account for 68,720 cases of skin cancer in 2009 and most – about 8,650 – of the deaths due to skin cancer each year, reports the American Cancer Society.

What are the types of skin cancer?

Most skin cancers are classified as non-melanoma, usually starting in either basal cells or squamous cells. These cells are located at the base of the outer layer of the skin or cover the internal and external surfaces of the body.

Most non-melanoma skin cancers develop on sun-exposed areas of the body, such as the face, ear, neck, lips, and the backs of the hands, the society reports. Depending on the type, they can be fast or slow growing, but they rarely spread to other parts of the body.

Melanoma is a cancer that begins in the melanocytes – the cells that produce the skin coloring or pigment known as melanin. Melanin helps protect the deeper layers of the skin from the harmful effects of the sun.

Melanoma is almost always curable when it is detected in its early stages, according to the society. Although melanoma accounts for only a small percentage of skin cancer, it’s far more dangerous than other skin cancers and causes most skin cancer deaths.

Any change on the skin, especially in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth.

Scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or change in the appearance of a bump or nodule.

The spread of pigmentation beyond its border such as dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark.

A change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness, or pain.

What can you do to avoid skin cancer?

Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Seek shade: Look for shade, especially in the middle of the day when the sun's rays are strongest. Practice the shadow rule and teach it to children. If your shadow is shorter than you, the sun’s rays are at their strongest.

Slip on a shirt: Cover up with protective clothing to guard as much skin as possible when you are out in the sun. Choose comfortable clothes made of tightly woven fabrics that you cannot see through when held up to a light.

Slop on sunscreen: Use sunscreen and lip balm with a sun protection factor SPF of 15 or higher. Apply a generous amount of sunscreen – about a palmful – and reapply after swimming, toweling dry, or perspiring. Use sunscreen even on hazy or overcast days.

Slap on a hat: Cover your head with a wide-brimmed hat, shading your face, ears, and neck. If you choose a baseball cap, remember to protect your ears and neck with sunscreen.

Wrap on sunglasses: Wear sunglasses with 99 percent to 100 percent UV absorption to provide optimal protection for the eyes and the surrounding skin.

Follow these practices to protect your skin even on cloudy or overcast days. UV rays travel through clouds.

Avoid other sources of UV light. Tanning beds and sun lamps are dangerous because they can damage your skin.

September 21, 2009

The United States not only spends more money on health care than any other nation but also leaves 45 million consumers uninsured, allowing about 22,000 to die annually from easily treatable diseases.

Washington Post foreign correspondent T.R. Reid, author of "The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care," was recently interviewed on National Public Radio about his travels around the world investigating the health care systems in other wealthy countries.

To gather information on health care systems, he went to doctors in the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, and Britain to see what they would suggest for treatment for an old shoulder injury.

Reid said that although he did receive a recommendation to have surgery, he declined. However, he did receive help by massage treatments.

Myth 2. Overseas, care is rationed through limited choices or long lines.

Studies by the Commonwealth Fund and others report that many nations – Germany, Britain, and Austria – outperform the U.S. on measures such as waiting times for appointments and for elective surgeries.

U.S. health insurance companies have the highest administrative costs in the world; they spend roughly 20 cents of every dollar for nonmedical costs, such as paperwork, reviewing claims, and marketing. France's health insurance industry covers everybody and spends about 4 percent on administration. Canada's universal insurance system, run by government employees, spends 6 percent on administration.

Myth 4. Cost controls stifle innovation.

The U.S. is home to groundbreaking medical research, but so are other countries with much lower cost structures. Hip and knee replacements are a French innovation. Deep-brain stimulation to treat depression is a Canadian breakthrough. Many of the drugs promoted on American television, including Viagra, come from British, Swiss, or Japanese labs.

Myth 5. Health insurance has to be cruel.

American health insurance companies routinely reject applicants with a "preexisting condition." They employ armies of adjusters to deny claims. If a customer faces big medical bills, the insurer's "rescission department" digs through the records looking for grounds to cancel the policy, often while the consumer is still in the hospital. Foreign health insurance companies must accept all applicants, and they can't cancel as long as you pay your premiums.

Reid’s research helps clear up the misconceptions that have been circulating about the health care systems in other nations.